Joao Felix rebuffed approaches from Liverpool and Manchester United to seal a dream move to Barcelona this past summer.
According to a report by Mundo Deportivo, as relayed by Sport Witness, Joao Felix put in tremendous effort to join Barcelona in the summer transfer window. The Portuguese international had courted offers from Liverpool, Manchester United, and Aston Villa. But he had his heart set on completing his dream move to Barcelona and snubbed Premier League interest.
Joao Felix had reached a crossroads for the first time in his young career as a professional footballer. The 23-year-old did not feature in Diego Simeone’s plans after a few run-ins with the Atletico Madrid manager. In addition, with the loan move to Chelsea not working out, the Blues did not pursue his signature.
The Portuguese international did not manage a single minute of game time in the first three games of the 2023/24 season. So, as Deadline Day approached, he was desperate to secure a move away from Atletico Madrid. And Barcelona signed Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the campaign.
Since then, Felix has garnered his first minutes of the 2023/24 season, coming off the bench for a ten-minute cameo against Osasuna. And he will now look to enjoy a successful campaign, hoping to shake off the cobwebs of the last few weeks. But Liverpool and Manchester United were also keen on securing his services this past summer.
Liverpool considered Felix as a possible replacement for Mohamed Salah, who had been courting interest from Saudi Arabia. And while the player would not have been a like-for-like alternative to Salah, his qualities might have made him an ideal fit in Jurgen Klopp’s system.
Meanwhile, apart from this summer, Manchester United also showed interest in the 23-year-old in the January transfer window. But the Red Devils could not land the Portuguese international in either window this year. In addition, he also captured the attention of Aston Villa. But the player had his heart set on joining Barcelona.
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Widespread reports have also claimed that Felix has taken an enormous wage cut to join Barcelona. With the Blaugrana still not out of the woods on the financial front, Felix’s effort to reject Liverpool and Manchester United while lowering his wages is remarkable.
